Quidditch Players Lobby for Recognition from the NCAA

The fourth annual Quidditch World Cup will be held this coming weekend in New York City at De Witt Clinton Park. NPR reports that over 60 teams will compete in the Harry-Potter-inspired sport, including teams from Harvard, MIT, Penn State and Duke.

However, some feel the sport doesn’t receive the respect it deserves. Valerie Fischman, a student at University of Maryland, is lobbing for Quidditch to be recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. “I think that having NCAA status will give it a little more credibility and help keep it around a little bit longer,” Fischman said. “I’m hoping that it stays around after the Harry Potter generation leaves college.”

In order to earn NCAA, there must be official quidditch clubs at a minimum of 50 universities and colleges. Athletic directors from those schools must then individually petition the NCAA, a process which may take many years.

The real-life version of the game, based on the fictional version, was created at Middlebury College in 2005. The first intercollegiate quidditch game was played between Middlebury and Vassar College.